It is rare to see a generational talent at wide receiver go to a new team in his prime. Well, that is exactly what happened to Odell Beckham, former wide receiver of the New York Giants. Now, after a blockbuster trade in the offseason, he finds himself on the Cleveland Browns. If this were only one year ago, the outlook on his season would be pretty bleak. However, the Browns seem to have turned a corner and now might actually compete for a division title this year. At the very least, their offense will be good, which will translate to points for Beckham in fantasy football.
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Odell Beckham Jr. Fantasy Football Preview
Looking Back to Last Year
Most will remember the 2018 Giants as the Saquon Barkley show. But Beckham was on his way to another dominant year before a quad injury sidelined him for the remaining four games of the year. Beckham had 124 targets, which was an average of 10.3 per game, fifth in the league. He still managed to compile over 1,000 yards receiving, including five 100-yard games. In standard scoring leagues, Beckham only had one game where he scored under five points, week six against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he put up 44 yards and no touchdowns.
The worry with Beckham is injuries. He has only started 16 games once in his five-year career. Granted, in 2015, he only missed the final game of the year due to a suspension, but that still makes two out of five years that he has been healthy a full season. Additionally, he’s missed 16 of the previous 32 games. Fantasy team owners need to take his injury history into consideration when drafting him.
New Look for 2019
There is plenty of concern for Beckham in 2019 since he is now on a new team. And it is not just any team, it’s the Browns. But these aren’t the same Browns that have stunk up the league for decades. This team is actually stacked, and ready to make some noise this year. Last season, amidst changes all of the offense and coaching staff, Cleveland managed to field the 13th best offense in the league. Compare that to the Giants, who were ranked 17th.
A big part of that is due to quarterback Baker Mayfield. There was a ton of controversy when the Browns took him number one overall, but he put all of that talk to rest as soon as he took over the starting role. Despite not getting his first start until Week Four, Mayfield threw for over 3,700 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was also ranked as the fourth-best quarterback when throwing deep. Compare that to Beckham’s old quarterback, Eli Manning rated as the 23rd best quarterback on deep passes.
Beckham and Mayfield should quickly develop great chemistry and make good things happen together. And luckily, there are other weapons to keep the attention of defenses. Jarvis Landry was last year’s number one receiver. Now he moves over to being the second target. The team also has the young wideout Antonio Callaway and tight end David Njoku. At running back Nick Chubb showed he is already a top option at the position, and he’ll be joined by Kareem Hunt at the midpoint of the year.
Defenses won’t be able to give all their attention to Beckham, lest they get burned elsewhere.
A Great Value Despite the Risk
One paper, Beckham looks like he is in for one of, if not his best year yet. He has as full of an offense around as ever, and a budding quarterback, rather than an aging one. However, his ADP is as low as it has ever been. He’s currently ranked as the WR5 or 14 OVR. Admittedly, the four guys ahead of him are much safer picks: DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, and Davante Adams. All are also on high powered offenses, and unlike Beckham, are still on the same team they were on last year.
However, there is no question that Beckham can fight for the WR1 overall spot any year he is in the league. But injury concerns, and the fear that “the Browns will Brown” are hurting his stock. But, this means Beckham is about as good of a second-round pick as people can get. Those that grab a running back in the first should have no issue pulling the trigger on OBJ as their next pick. If he’s healthy, sparks will fly.
